This Week in USI April 22nd – 28th, 2017

Apr 28, 2017 | Featured, Week In USI

General:

  • Last week USI held the Student Achievement Awards Ireland in Dublin Castle with loads of awards handed out to incredible student leaders. Tag yourself in the photos!
  • USI have been nominated for 3 awards at the Social Media Awards Ireland for: Best Non-Profit/Organisation Twitter account,  Best Business Twitter Campaign and Zero Budget Social Media Campaign. See the full list of nominations here: http://sockies.ie/2017-nominations/
  • USI President and Vice President for BMW Region attended the NUS Conference.

Policy and Campaigns:

  • This week the USI encouraged students to engage in a campaign to call for Ibrahim Hallawa’s release from imprisonment in Egypt. On Wednesday, Ibrahim’s trial was delayed for the 22nd time. To call the Egyptian embassy. See the full statement here.
  • The USI President attended the Citizens’ Assembly meeting on the 23rd of April and spoke at the Repeal the 8th press briefing afterwards declaring students’ firm commitment to the issue. See the full statement here.
  • The Vice President for Campaigns spoke at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) press briefing on the new report showing 78% of student nurses would consider emigrating for better pay and conditions abroad. See the full statement here:
  • The Vice President for Academic Affairs attended the board meeting of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education. The Forum’s purpose is to create policy and resources for the improvement of matters of curriculum, teaching, retention, and more.
  • The Vice President for Academic Affairs spoke to RTÉ Drivetime and The Last Word on Today FM to call for better supports for students who are considering withdrawing from college. See our full statement here:
  • The Vice President for Welfare met with head of the PCHEI to discuss student counselling and working with the organisation in the future to share knowledge and to increase campaign and lobbying efforts.
  • The Vice President for Welfare with the head of PCHEI met with the Minister for Mental health and Older People Helen McEntee to discuss higher education, students and mental health in line with work of the Youth Mental Health Task Force.
  • The Vice President for Welfare with the National Student Housing Executive travelled to Paris to attend and contribute to House Erasmus+ and to discuss targeted solutions at solving accommodation issues across Europe and how to support international and Erasmus students.

Membership News

Sanitary CarePacs in DITSU

  • The Vice President for Equality and Citizenship launched DITSU’s #CarePac initiative this week in Bolton street, where packs with sanitary towels, pads and tampons will now be made freely available by the Students Union.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have expressed grave concern over the evidence gathered by the INMO today through a survey of internship students showing 78% of respondents are considering emigrating.

 

LGBTI+ Youth Strategy

The National LGBTI+ Youth strategy is being formulated under Minister Katherine Zappone and the committee overseeing its development is being chaired by journalist and commentator Una Mullally. Síona Cahill, USI Vice President for Equality, sits on the national committee and wants to ensure third level students are front and centre of the consultations.

The strategy will be the first of it’s kind in the world, and aims to target young LGBTI+ people in looking at the supports and services they have experienced, had access to, or may need. Every young LGBTI+ person has had a different lived experience and no two people are the same, and the consultations are anxious to reflect the diversity of experience and requirements for different people within the community. 

This is an incredibly important strategy document which will take it’s direction from the consultations with young people in Ireland between the ages of 15 and 24 and will be published in Autumn 2017.

To participate online, click here: http://spunout.ie/news/article/survey-for-national-lgbt-youth-strategy

One for Ireland USI is supporting the #OneForIreland campaign this May Bank Holiday weekend, which is a campaign run by current and former TCD students, and this year has 7 projects across 7 regions in Ireland identified as charity partners for youth mental health projects.

Get involved by sharing online and giving a Euro this weekend! Check out the projects here: https://oneforireland.ie/ourpartners.php